Insects and acarina destroy growing and harvested crops. In the United States alone, agronomic crops must compete with thousands of insect and acarid species. In particular, tobacco budworms, southern armyworms and two-spotted spider mites are especially devasting to crops.
Tobacco budworms cause tremendous economic losses in agronomic crops. In particular, budworms devastate cotton crops by feeding on green bolls. Control of budworms is complicated by their resistance to many common insecticides, including organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids. Also, budworm larvae are difficult to control with currently available insecticides once they reach the third instar.
Two-spotted spider mites attack many plant species, raspberry plants for example, by removing sap from leaves. When raspberry plants are heavily infested, canes and leaves become stunted. With a severe infestation, fruiting canes are damaged, resulting in reduced yield and fruit quality.
In spite of the commercial insecticides and acaricides available today, damage to crops, both growing and harvested, caused by insects and acarina still occurs. Accordingly, there is ongoing research to create new and more effective insecticides and acaricides.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling insects and acarina by contacting said insects and acarina, their breeding ground, food supply or habitat with an insecticidally or acaricidally effective amount of a diaryl(pyridinio or isoquinolinio)boron compound.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for protecting growing plants from attack by insects and acarina by applying to the foliage of said plants or to the soil or water in which they are growing an insecticidally or acaricidally effective amount of a diaryl(pyridinio or isoquinolinio)boron compound.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description thereof set forth below.